Patriots HC Mike Vrabel opens up about relationship with Eagles' A.J. Brown amid trade rumors

Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver A.J. Brown raised some eyebrows when he recently teased that he could be at least a little interested in joining a New England Patriots team that currently has Mike Vrabel serving as its head coach. 

Of course, Brown had Vrabel as a head coach with the Tennessee Titans from the 2019 NFL Draft up until the Titans traded the wideout to the Eagles in April 2022. While speaking with reporters at the NFL Scouting Combine on Wednesday, Vrabel opened up about the state of his current relationship with Brown.

Mike Vrabel reveals what's "important" about his relationship with A.J. Brown

"It’s meant – I think the relationship with players, and specifically, you asked about A.J. It has meant a lot. I’ve watched him grow. I’ve watched him mature," Vrabel explained, per Karen Guregian of MassLive. "I’m proud of him, proud of the father that he is. I’m proud of the husband. That has nothing to do with where he plays or where he played. Those are the things that are important." 

Vrabel made it clear at the time that he didn't want the Titans to trade Brown. Vrabel also texted Brown before the Eagles played against the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LVII back in February 2023. 

During a recent podcast appearance, Brown acknowledged that he appreciated how Vrabel held "every single player accountable from top to bottom," which made "the team come together because nobody's bigger than the team." 

"We reach out and text each other during the good things that happen to each other," Vrabel added about Brown on Wednesday. "Sometimes things don’t go so well for the people that you’re close with, and you text for those as well. It’s a two-way street of support and reminders of what got us to where we are here today." 

Could Mike Vrabel convince Patriots to trade for A.J. Brown?

Brown has been the subject of on-again, off-again trade rumors since last offseason, and Eagles general manager Howie Roseman suggested on Tuesday that he would at least "listen" to offers for the 28-year-old. The Patriots have a need at the position, so Vrabel understandably was asked on Wednesday about possibly contacting the Eagles about Brown's availability. 

Vrabel spoke carefully about a player who is under contract with another club.

"Well, I think that we’ll look at everything that we can possibly look at to add to our roster," Vrabel said. "There’s a lot of things that go into trades. There’s a lot of back and forth. Taking on compensation and so we’ll ... I’m sure there’ll be a lot of opportunities for us to talk about trades, not only this week, but as we prepare and get closer to the draft, those are things when time ramps up."

Back in the spring of 2024, Brown signed a three-year, $96M contract extension with $84M in guaranteed money. Earlier in February, ESPN's Bill Barnwell linked Brown with the Denver Broncos, the team that fell to the Patriots in this year's AFC Championship Game.